listening project

peter: Geez, we're outta practice

jodi: Listen to track 1 "Dust on the Bible": link

jodi: I love Kitty Wells but I have a sense I'm not going to enjoy this one as much as usual. It's pretty bibley.

jodi: "I Dreamed I Searched Heaven For You": link

peter: So we're sitting here getting ready to listen to this, and Jodi is looking up songs from it on YouTube. She says, "Fuck, it's all religious." To which I reply, "It's called Dust on the Bible."

jodi: Track 2 (dreamed I searched. . . ) is exactly what I'd feared this record was going to sound like. Plodding. Plinkety plink, with swooping strings and only barely redeemed by the voice of Kitty Wells. It sounds like something the youth group would sing at church camp.

jodi: track 3 "Lonesome Valley": link

jodi:
Well, I hoped it might just be the title song. But nope. It's a theme.

jodi: Track 3 is better. Just as plodding but the addition of repetition by backup vocalists helps.

peter: There's a project we have to get back to: the oddly appropriate youth group singalong list, starting with "You Shook Me All Night Long"

jodi: Not posting any more links until side 2. That's a real time suck!

jodi: Somebody drew a picture of two toes on the back of this record's sleeve:

Leigh: well... it was the 50's after all... just before the swinging too place (and probably foreshadowing that the dust would remain... )

jodi:
It doesn't sound that different from her other work that I love; I'm probably more critical of the plodding quality because I prefer the non-religious stuff. Says more about me than about the record I guess.

peter:
Yes, actually I love that Dust on the Bible image: "Get the dust off the Bible and redeem your poor soul." I wonder if my sister has our old family bible, don't think I do.

jodi: It's funny to hear her do Great Speckled Bird when it's the exact same melody as It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. Which isn't on here, despite the reference to god.

peter:
Well, she's also the queen of honky tonk, isn't she? But this is more straight country. Or perhaps western. I like both kinds.

jodi: Side two already! This record is very short. Lots of dead space after the last tracks.

jodi:
Dang, I wish I could remember what movie that's a quote from.

kate: I'm on my phone so it's unlikely I'll put the effort into Googling any of these songs, but I'm enjoying the conversation.

peter: So we're on to side two now, in case anybody's trying to keep up. I've been distracted trying to figure out how to prevent our CMS's flood control from intercepting my comments.

jodi: He Will Set Your Fields On Fire: link

Now there's the vengeful old testament god-villian I love to hear stories about.

jodi: It's actually the peppiest, most happy sounding song yet so I'm guessing the setting afire of the fields is not actually a vengeance thing.

jodi: We Buried Her Beneath The Willow: link

jodi: So sick of hearing about heaven.

peter: Oh my goodness, He Will Set Your Fields on Fire! "Leave the downward path, kindle not His wrath / Or He'll set your fields on fire." Daaammnation!

jodi: Sheesh, we ARE out of shape. This is pretty straightforward country gospel, and of course Kitty Wells has the most gorgeous voice. And the guitar player needs to take some bennies and wake up.

peter:
Agreed. Best song so far.

jodi: And I'm really looking forward to the degenerate 60s and the dust gathering on the bible. Bring on the devil's music!

jodi: I've Got My One Way Ticket To The Sky
Walk with Jesus in the holy land kick my dad and mother's haaaaaayyyyund

Probably "shake" but them Tennesseeans don't always enunciate that well.

peter: I have a soft spot for balls-out southern hymn singin' and unfortunately this ain't it. I love Kitty Wells generally, but these arrangements are sadly unimpassionate and a little on the corporate side. One time driving through Kentucky on a Sunday morning Jodi and I ran across a radio station broadcasting a service. The music was totally amateurish, a bit raw, and much more interesting than most of this. Maybe it's just my mood, though; there is a lot in here that I like.

peter:
You mean "Tennesheeans"

jodi: I Need The Prayers: this is one of the songs highlighted on the sleeve in orange marker with an arrow leading away from it and pointing to a drawing of a toe (see above). A toe with quite a nice French pedicure, not sure if that has any significance. Maybe these conservative, country-music-loving Americans felt more friendly towards the French in 1959.

(trying to resist the FREEDOM PEDICURE joke but I can't)

peter:
I don't suppose you know where my mom's family bible is?

jodi:
Agreed +100. Also, I posted a video of that radio show; you can find it on youtube, search for "jodilicious".

jodi:
I posted a few youtube links above but got tired of it pretty quickly. Too much effort!

jodi: Last track: Lord, I'm Coming Home. This one has a drawing of a toe whose French Pedi is turned UPSIDE DOWN so the white part is way up in the toe flesh and I don't know what it means but it must be something DIRE and FREAKY.

Also I desperately wanted this to sound even a little bit like Ozzy, Mama I'm Coming Home, but alas, it doesn't. Not in the slightest.

peter: Last song, Lord I'm Coming Home. Nice. Plodding, yeah, but slow, and with a subtle organ accompaniment just hovering under the guitar. And Kitty Wells's angelic voice. Ah well, on to the next post.

jodi:
"Tennesheeansh" is how I would actually pronounce it with my full-on Dolly impression.

jodi: We're at the end, so Peter and I will take a 5 minute break and then you can rejoin us on the next post, which will appear when the needle drops on our next selection: Pearl Bailey sings for adults only!

kate: I don't, but my mom might.

ps. on a computer now. do i really have to enter my name and email every single damn time i want to post?

peter:
I will send you a login.